Local SWCD to mark Stewardship Week

VW independent/submitted information

The Van Wert SWCD wants to remind local residents that each person has a connection to natural resources. The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) is celebrating the 63rd year of Stewardship week on April 29-May 6. The 2018 Stewardship Week is themed “Watersheds: Our Water, Our Home”.

The local district was formed to assist people in Van Wert County to protect and conserve natural resources for all residents by providing technical, educational, and financial assistance. During Stewardship Week, the Van Wert SWCD will provide a black cherry seedling and a presentation on the importance of trees to each fourth grade student in the county and place Soil & Water Stewardship placemats in local restaurants during Stewardship Week.

“Clean water is important to everyone,” says National Association of Conservation Districts Past President Earl Garber. “Watersheds come in all shapes and sizes. They cross county, state, and national boundaries.

“Every inch of the land on planet Earth is part of a watershed,” he added. “In the continental U.S., there are 2,100 watersheds; if we include Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico, the count rises to 2,267. No matter where you are right now, you are in a watershed.”

Area residents should take time to learn about their local community water supply sources, and volunteer for river, stream, or beach clean-up days. People can make a difference!

To find out more about the local watershed district, including an app for computer and smart phones, visit www.epa.gov/mywaterway. 

Van Wert SWCD is a member of the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), which oversees the Stewardship Week program. Stewardship Week is one of the largest national annual programs to promote conservation. NACD represents the nation’s 3,000 conservation districts, which were established to encourage resource conservation across the country.

Additional information about the “Watersheds: Our Water, Our home” program and other useful resource education is available on the NACD website at http://www.nacdnet.org/general-resources/stewardship-and-education-materials/2018-watersheds-water-home/